Candid Confessions of the Heart

Travelogues

The need for Marco Polo and Columbus to discover and travel the world stems from the love of wonder. Wanderlust as they called is an actually phenomena. Come to think of it nomads were also travellers who moved constantly from one place to another in search of the next best place. Aren’t we travellers in this world, some more than others making our paths in what we call life?

My mother often calls my love for travelling as the restless gene syndrome and frankly I quite agree with her on it. For someone who is bitten by the traveling bug you are hooked for life. From time immemorial Earth has been inhabited by two kinds of people: settlers and travelers. Here are some reasons why I feel some people are just born to travel the world.

1. Exploration
The seed for exploration quite frankly helped the world become what it is today. Imagine if the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan had listened to what the great thinkers and philosophers of 16th century had said and didn’t decide to find out on his own what the world would be! If it weren’t for him people would still believe that the world was flat and traveling beyond a certain point would make you fall off into the great abyss. Even today I believe that the people who travel are the explorers.

2. To seek greater knowledge
If you take the time out, you will find out that there have been many people throughout history who had the spirit of adventure and decided to explore the unknown. Their thirst for knowledge lead them to discover new things and places. In some cases, they risked their lives to make their contributions recognized by the world.

3. See the unexpected
The explorers you’re grown up reading about were unlike normal people and this is not just because of the distances they managed to travel but surely because of the courage and intelligence that helped them to travel incredible distances and survive and discover the unknown.

4. For adventure
Our humdrum life gets boring after a while and more often than not it seems like you are stuck in a rut. The need for adventure is an intrinsic part of some people’s life. And what better way to satiate this need than by travelling. After all who will fondly recall a trip to office? Instead a sky-diving trip in Dubai or snorkelling in Maldives you get a feel for what being an active human being is like (again).

5. Because they don’t know better
Even though the ancient scholar Eratosthenes had managed to correctly calculate the circumference of world nearly about 1800 years ago, he couldn’t really prove it. If only Eratosthenes knew better. So why sit in once place why not travel and get answers to questions that have plagued you for a long time.

6. Life for them is on the go
Have you ever wondered why some people like to travel more than others? Scientists say that it is cause of their gene pool which leads them to travel and exploration. For them life isn’t in one place alone, life lies in the adventure of the conquest. And that is exactly how humans populated the entire Earth. Believe it or not, there is a primeval force inside some of us that pushes us to do so.

7. Learn who they are
Not everyone knows all the answers. They say everyone born is born to serve a purpose and until you find, it per say your life is not fruitful. So the logically assumption is that some people actually came into this world to travel. Travelling will help you to become a well-rounded human being. It will throw challenges and opportunities on your face and let’s you discover who you are in a way that only the road brings.

8. Perspective and memories
Meeting new people and learning from exotic cultures will teach you that the way you look at the world is not the way everybody does it. That you could in fact be dead wrong about everything till date. Travelling will give you a new perspective in life. And while you do so you will make memories on these mini adventures and they will help prove to yourself that you can and this sense of accomplishment will change your life like never before.

9. Meet new people
Everyone you meet has their own story, take timeout and find out what it is. New places, new stories, new cultures all of this is what your soul craves for. For there is a world that you haven’t seen and discovered yet, but it is definitely calling onto you.

10. Just for the hell of it
Last but not the least if you still don’t get why some people are born to travel then let me just say, they do so, because you can….

Bollywood is truly a wondrous place! From picturesque locations to eventful train journeys, we have seen it all thanks to our very own Bollywood films. And every once in a while, we have come across movies were the characters in film have often taken that trip which has changed their life forever. Yet in all of this, not all Bollywood films teach us something. Although are some gems that stay with you for a long time and in turn make you want to explore the world as well. Here’s my pick of the 10 Bollywood films that inspire you to travel!

1. Queen

You have to be living under a rock if you haven’t heard or seen this gem of a movie. This movie perfectly captures the middle-class sentiment in India. Where most people dream of travelling to their dream destinations. But are unable to do so due to lack of money or some other reason. The movie manages to capture Paris and Amsterdam quite well in it.

2.Highway

This movie may not have been a big commercial success, but it definitely manages to inspire you to hit the road. Highway covers several exotic places within India that have never been captured before. The entire journey more than a love story, it was all about the sense of freedom that travel can introduce you to.

3. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Zoya Akhtar’s movie finally captured the beautiful Spain in all its glory. The heartfelt story of three childhood friends who decide to travel to Spain before one of them is to get married.And in the process of traveling how they rediscover their own identity. Shot in some of the most striking locations of Spain. This is one of those Bollywood films that is bound to remain etched in your memory for good.

4. Jab We Met

Imtiaz Ali’s gave us something in this movie which I am sure even he had no idea he would manage to create. We met Geet!! The movie captures Geet’s metaphorical and personal journey after she meets with Aditya on a train journey. And how their lives get changed as they embarked on a journey together for life.

5. Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

This movie has single handedly inspired other filmmakers to shoot abroad. Not only this it has also done a lot for London as a travel destination. The movie also captured the joy of travel in the form of bus rides and car cruises. Who can forget the iconic train scene where SRK lends his hand to Kajol in midst of the busy train sequence… Brilliant!!

6. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Ayan Mukerji’s latest film, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ narrates the story of four friends who embark on an impromptu trip and how the trip changes the lives of the characters forever. Manali never looked this beautiful than what we saw in this movie.

7. Dil Chahta Hai

If you love Goa, by the time this movie ends, you will not be the first one to do so. Most of the people I know, definitely ended up packing their bags and heading off to Goa, post they saw it. And because it’s a movie about friends, you’ll also feel like asking your friends to accompany you as well. The movie was also shot extensively in/around Sydney in Australia.